


I'll Huff and I'll Puff and I'll Blow Your House In

by Sammiepop



Category: True Blood
Genre: F/M, Gen, Pre-Relationship, Set after Season 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22908769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sammiepop/pseuds/Sammiepop
Summary: Eric is drawn to Sookie's house when he feels a spike of fear like never before. Expecting to waltz in like a knight in shining armour, Eric is surprised and disappointed to find that Sookie didn't fall gratefully into his arms. He therefore makes it his mission to make that happen, starting with getting an invitation into her house.
Relationships: Eric Northman & Sookie Stackhouse, Eric Northman/Sookie Stackhouse
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68





	1. Little Pig, Little Pig, Let Me Come In

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is set I believe between seasons 2 and 3. Eric has tricked Sookie into taking his blood, so they have a blood bond, but they're not really that close yet. Of course, all of that is about to change...Eric hopes.

“Oh gosh darn it!” Sookie looked down at her apron which had started to come undone and was trailing into the pool of blood on the floor. Sighing, she tugged off her rubber gloves and threw them to the side, sparing a moment to sit back on her heels and stretch out her back. Her adrenaline was beginning to fall and Sookie was feeling the effects in her cramping muscles. A harsh knock came pounding through the kitchen, eliciting an exasperated sigh as she pushed herself off the kitchen floor. The sigh turned into a groan as she saw the tall, slim outline of her visitor. She did _not_ have the patience to deal with Eric Northman right now. 

Eric turned to face Sookie as he heard the unmistakable jingle of the chain being removed from the door. He arranged his face into a charming smile which faltered only slightly at Sookie’s glare. 

“What are you doing here?” Sookie stepped out onto the porch, carefully pulling the door shut behind her. It didn’t do much to block Eric’s view, thanks to the large glass panel, but it gave Sookie a modicum of control.  
She stood with her arms folded, legs planted firmly in front of the door, her entire being clearly saying _back off!_

“And here I thought that people in the South were supposed to have good manners.” Eric raised an eyebrow slightly and, despite herself, Sookie felt a rush of shame burn through her body. Her Gran _had_ raised her better than that. Sookie could almost feel Gran admonishing her from the beyond for being so rude. Her expression softened slightly, lowering the wattage of her glare. 

“I’m sorry, that was rude. I wasn’t expecting company and now’s not a good time, anyhow.” Sookie shifted her weight from one foot to the other but stayed in front of the door. 

“Yes, I had worked out as much for myself. I am here, as you so bluntly asked, because I felt your emotions. You haven’t had a spike of fear like that for quite some time. It was … quite concerning.” He stepped closer, looking over her head to peer through the closed front door. While he was not consciously keeping track of Sookie, the fear that had rushed through him tonight was definitely out of the ordinary. He had dropped everything and sped over without consciously deciding it, but was pushing that thought for later contemplation. 

Sookie furrowed her brow. Eric didn’t need to be a telepath to know what she was thinking. Clearly she was under the impression that the blood connection would ease over time. “I’m fine. I dropped a cup.” The words dropped from Sookie’s lips as casually as if he had asked what time it was. She looked innocently up at him, keeping her gaze steady and her hands folded still.

Eric arched a brow. “My my, it must have been quite a large cup to cause your adrenaline to be so high. May I enquire as to what happened?” He watched her start to worry her lip, then immediately correct herself. On average, Sookie wasn’t too bad a liar, however he had had more than a thousand years of practice at spotting those who were being less than truthful. 

Sookie’s glare returned and she pulled herself fully upright. “No, you may not. I don’t see why it’s any of your business, and frankly I don’t have any interest in explaining it to you. Now if you don’t mind, I have a rather large mess to clean up and I’ll be _damned_ if I’m going to get a stain on Gran’s kitchen floor.” Sookie swiveled on her heel as if to leave but was startled when a hand gripped her arm. She froze instinctively, every muscle in her body locking in place. With a great deal of effort, she turned her head slowly to look at Eric’s fingers wrapped around her wrist. 

“Eric, let go of me.” Sookie’s voice was firm, which she was grateful for. There was no hint of a tremble to suggest at fear. Eric would have been convinced were it not for her heart hammering away in her chest, betraying her true feelings. She didn’t try to pull her arm out of his grip, she knew better than that by now.

“Perhaps we should continue this conversation inside.” Eric gently pulled Sookie’s arm so that she spun around to face him. He ducked down to catch her eye, cursing his height for once when she looked down and away. “Look at me, Sookie.” He took his other hand and tilted her chin up so that she could meet his eye. “I think it would be best if you invited me in, don’t you agree?” He let the words infuse with intent, pushing his glamour into her brain. He expected her to answer with the affirmative, was already preparing to enter the house, when she snapped out an angry reply. 

“Are you _fucking_ kidding me, Eric?” Sookie came to her senses and ripped her wrist from his grip. He let her, too surprised to resist. He knew that Bill couldn’t glamour her, but had assumed that being 1000 years old would mean he was strong enough to do the job. She took a step forward and shoved against his chest, using his distraction to push him back a few steps. “Do you think you can just _glamour_ me into doing what you want?” Fury raged in her eyes as her fists balled at her sides. Only the small, rational part of her brain stopped her from punching Eric, knowing she’d do more damage to her hand than to his body. 

Eric finally shook himself back to reality. “What a curious creature you are.” He murmured softly, looking down at her with renewed interest. 

“I’m not a creature, you asshole. I’m a person and I _don’t_ think it’s too much to ask to be _treated_ as such.” Sookie punctuated her words by poking Eric repeatedly in the chest. He looked down in amusement, having barely felt her prodding. 

“Well then, I suppose we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.” Eric stepped forward again, robbing Sookie of the little ground she had won. It forced her to step back so that she wasn’t face to face with his chest. He continued until her back was against the wall, smirking when she was forced to crane her neck to look up at him. He brought a hand up to her cheek, his amusement only growing when she determinedly batted his hand away. 

“Don’t think you can intimidate me, Eric Northman. I’ve been taking care of myself my whole life so I am not about to wilt like some lily flower and let you in. I’m not scared of you.” Sookie glared when Eric put his hand on the wall above her head, leaning in until there was barely any space between them. 

“Oh Sookie, I know you _can_ take care of yourself, but with me… you wouldn’t have to.” Sookie cursed internally as an unwitting blush stole across her cheeks at his double entendre. She hoped that he wouldn’t notice in the dark, but they were dashed when she saw a self-satisfied smirk creep onto his face. “I would suggest that you invite me in while I’m asking nicely. I can’t guarantee it will last long.” 

Sookie narrowed her eyes. “I said I wasn’t scared of you, Eric, and I meant it. You asked me to invite you in and I said no. Accept the answer and leave.” There was a tense standoff as the two stared at each other, both unwilling to back down.

Eric growled low in his chest. “Such arrogance, from someone so fragile.” He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. “I could break every bone in your human body before you could blink, as easily as you would snap a twig.” He put his hands on her upper arms and lifted her up so that she was at eye level. “You think that because I cannot glamour you, that I cannot make you invite me in? I have killed more people than you can even _dream_ of, without batting an eye. I could find your brother, kill him and bring you his head before you could draw a breath. Invite me in now, Sookie Stackhouse or you will wish that I _could_ glamour you.” 

Sookie’s eyes were filling with tears, a mixture of the pain that was spreading steadily down her arms and at Eric’s cruel words. She glared at him through the tears, refusing still to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he frightened her. It was then that she remembered the small, yellow golf pencil tucked into the back pocket of her shorts, slipped there at the end of her shift when she couldn’t be bothered to put it back into the office. She sent a small prayer of thanks that she had been so tired earlier and slipped her arm back to grasp it tightly in her hand.

“Put me down, Eric.” Sookie prepared herself, shifting the pencil in her hand so that most of it was sticking out of her fist, holding in to the very end. She envisioned where to plunge her make-shift stake. It briefly occurred to her to stab him in the chest and finish this, but her mind skittered away from that prospect. She would ponder the whys and wherefores later. Right now, she had to get back into the house. 

Eric simply laughed in response. He was blissfully unaware of Sookie’s escape plan, sure that he was mere seconds away from victory. He was still operating under the assumption that Sookie was like anyone else he’d ever met. An almost imperceptible narrowing of Sookie’s eyes was interpreted as a precursor to her surrender. How wrong he was.

Sookie gripped the pencil and swung her arm around, slicing it across Eric’s torso then slamming it into his side, hard. He gasped, one knee buckling as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Sookie used his momentum to kick out, swinging her legs wildly enough to cause him to overbalance. In the chaos his grip weakened and Sookie thrust her arms up and out to break herself free. She wasted no time turning tail and throwing herself inside, slamming the door behind her. Her chest heaved as she slid to the floor, holding the door closed with her body. She silently thanked God that she hadn’t invited him in. 

There was a moment where all was silent, and for one crazy second Sookie wondered if she had killed Eric. Then she shook her head, knowing that if she had she would be covered head to toe in vampire goo right now. 

Eric was not, in fact, dead or even seriously injured. He pulled the pencil out of his side with barely a wince, too full of white-hot rage to even notice the pain. He stood, brushing his blood covered hands on his jeans, taking deep, unnecessary breaths in an attempt to calm himself down. It had been a long time, centuries even, since someone had said no to him and he did not enjoy the sensation. Eric regretted his earlier harshness. He had assumed that Sookie was like any other human, who when exposed to a little bit of fear would give him whatever he wanted. Clearly this was not the way to go with Sookie. Nodding to himself, Eric took a moment to straighten his jacket, tugging at the sleeves until he once again looked presentable. He took a moment to rake his hair back, mussing it carefully until it fell perfectly around his face. He could be charming, Eric knew. He could be friendly, and personable, and witty. Yes, it took longer but without glamouring or intimidation to fall back on, Eric needed to make her _want_ to invite him in. Preferably before dawn, which was coming in a few hours. Eric was almost looking forward to the challenge. 

Sookie jumped as she heard a knock at the door. “Miss Stackhouse. I would like to formally apologise for my behaviour earlier. It was extremely impolite of me to threaten you in such a manner. Please allow me to make it up to you.” He paused, listening for a response, and continued when he heard none. “It was regrettable that I lost my temper with you. I assure you it will not happen again.” 

Sookie stood and turned, giving Eric the sternest look she could muster. “I don’t know how things worked when you were alive, but in my day you can’t threaten something then expect them to forgive after you give some weak-ass apology.” Sookie watched coldly through the glass to see whether Eric would keep his word and his temper. 

Eric inclined his head. “In my day it was not even expected to apologise. It has been a long time since I have felt the need to do so, I may be a bit rusty.” 

Sookie snorted derisively. “Is that supposed to make me feel special? The only reason you’re apologising to me is because you can’t just _glamour_ me into doing what you want! I’m not some naive school child who’s just going to roll over and let you in because you apologised to me. It’s going to take more than that to re-earn my trust, Eric Northman. The question is, am I worth it?” She stepped forward, looking up at his face for a few seconds, before turning on her heel and disappearing into the living room. 

Eric thought about his surprise when he had been unable to glamour her. “Oh yes.” He replied softly. “Yes you are.” 


	2. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric is determined to get an invitation to Sookie's house. If he can't use force, then he'll just have to go the long way around. Being...nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, look. Is it a lot? No, no it's not. But is it something? It sure is.
> 
> I'm gonna try REALLY hard to get the next bit up soonish. I know what's gonna happen, I know how it's gonna annoy Sookie, I just have to, you know, get it onto paper. Or Google docs.
> 
> Try and think of this as removing the plug on my writer's block. Now that I've published _something_ , I'm hoping that I'll be able to do some more.
> 
> As usual, enjoy!

Sookie stared at the book in her hands, but her brain wasn’t taking in any of the information. She was too busy straining her hearing to detect if Eric was still outside. She mentally cursed that it was winter. Dawn wasn’t expected until at least 7 am, which meant that Eric had even more time to harass her, should he so choose. 

“Asshole,” Sookie muttered, knowing that he would hear her. She was proven right when she heard a faint chuckle from outside. Clearly, her actions hadn’t been enough to scare him away, so to speak, but Sookie hadn’t really expected them to. If there was one thing she had learned about Eric in the relatively short time she had known him, it was that he was just as stubborn as she was, probably more so as he’d had more time to practice. 

Throwing the book to the side, she stood up and stretched, glancing briefly towards the kitchen. Although the stain on the floor was getting more set in by the minute, Sookie couldn’t risk cleaning it up until Eric was gone, which at this rate wouldn’t be until the morning. She shuddered to think of the state the floor would be by then, and could only imagine the look on Gran’s face were she still here. Deciding it was worth a look, she paced slowly across the living room to peer out of the window. 

Eric, sensing his chance, stepped out in front of the living room window to catch Sookie’s attention. “My dearest Sookie,” he began, placing his hand on his chest, “beholder of divine beauty, epitome of grace and elegance, I would be most humbly grateful if you would accept my sincerest of apologies. I throw myself upon your judgment and can only hope that you are as forgiving as you are charming.” Eric finished his speech with a deep, flourishing bow. 

“Can it, Eric,” Sookie stormed up the stairs to the sound of a theatrical sigh at her back. She didn’t even need to look to know that Eric would be standing with his hand on his heart in some humorous attempt at sincerity. Giving herself a mental shake, she decided that the kitchen floor would have to wait. Gran would understand, she understood a little something about making the best of a situation. Not just anybody could go ahead and raise their child’s kids during what was supposed to be their golden years and come out the other side still smiling. Sookie took a moment to feel the ever-present ache of grief in her chest, sat in her Gran’s bedroom. It still hurt that she wasn’t there, but the pain grew a little smaller day by day. 

“Don’t be sad, Sookie. I am but an invite away to come and… comfort you.” Eric felt a flash of annoyance cut through the Sookie’s grief and smiled. He couldn’t have foreseen quite how useful their blood connection would be but his investment seemed to be paying a large return. He would get in, there was no doubt about it. It was simply a matter of persuasion. That, Eric knew, was something he was exceedingly good at.

“Can’t hear you, try again tomorrow!” Sookie called down from her bedroom window, punctuating her words with a cheery wave that could more accurately be called a shoo. Did she really think he would just give up and leave? No, of course not. She knew Eric better than that. But it sure will be easier ignoring him from up here, Sookie thought with a grin. Oh, if only she knew.


End file.
